


Bloodstained Lips

by DesertLily



Category: Captain America (Movies), Captain America - All Media Types, Marvel (Comics), Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe - Vampire, Attempted Murder, Blood, Blood Drinking, Enemies to Friends, Enemies to Lovers, Kinda, M/M, Miscommunication, Paris - Freeform, Vampire Hunters, Vampire hunter!Sam, Vampire!Bucky, Vampires, bucky is a dumbass
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-26
Updated: 2020-07-26
Packaged: 2021-03-06 03:01:35
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,545
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25516189
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DesertLily/pseuds/DesertLily
Summary: James Buchanan Barnes was bored of immortality. The vampire lifestyle was nowhere near as glamorous as he had been promised. Yet the appearance of an old face with a charming apprentice makes things more than a little but interesting.
Relationships: James "Bucky" Barnes & Steve Rogers, James "Bucky" Barnes/Sam Wilson
Comments: 7
Kudos: 57





	Bloodstained Lips

**Author's Note:**

  * For [bisexualoftheblade](https://archiveofourown.org/users/bisexualoftheblade/gifts).



> A fic for a friend! I really hope you like it!!

The prospect of immortality was tempting to many. They would do anything for the chance to live for eternity. What those people didn’t know however was that eternity got boring after a few decades. After those decades, things began to grow...dull. Everything began to lose its appeal. Surprisingly, the world wasn’t as extraordinary when you simply had the time to explore it. It was easy to lose interest. Even staying in the same place for too long was boring. That was how he had ended up in Paris. It was unbelievably unAmerican and Bucky loved it. Though, no one had called him ‘Bucky’ in a long time. Now he was simply just ‘James Barnes’.No Bucky or Buchanan. It was a common enough name. Nothing too exciting about it. Bucky Barnes was dead - both figuratively and literally. 

He never learnt the name of the man who turned him but he was a man Bucky would never forget. Those dark eyes that had pierced into the very core of his being. The velvet voice that had promised him a life of wonder. The man that had drained him and left him for dead. A discarded body in an empty alleyway. When the world around him had faded out, Bucky had never expected to wake up. But he did. He woke up feeling stronger than ever; feeling like someone else entirely. The world around him had been sharper - as if he were viewing it through a perfectly zoomed camera lens. Every scent smelt stronger. Every sound felt louder. It was as if the world around him had suddenly become so much alive. But it was the opposite. The world wasn’t more alive, Bucky was just more dead. But not entirely. Not really. He was Schrödinger’s Bucky; both alive and dead at the same time. His heart had stopped beating. His body had stopped aching. He had simply stopped...living. In exchange, he had gained an urge that felt insatiable. An urge for blood; to feed on whoever he could and never stop. It was the first time that he truly indulged on that urge that Bucky Barnes truly died. It was the day he killed for the first (but not the last) time. It was the day he became simply ‘James’. 

James had left everything behind after that. Friends. Family.  _ Steve _ . Steve Rogers had been Bucky’s best friend since they were children; they were brothers in everything but blood. No matter what, they stood by each other’s side; they protected each other. It was for that very reason Bucky Barnes had to die. He couldn’t protect Steve whilst he was like this. Not even remotely. He was more likely to hurt or even  _ kill _ him if he stayed around. So Bucky had been left for dead and James started running. He had started a new life. A charming smile and tempting words were always more than enough to get him everything he needed. Money, houses, clothes.  _ Anything _ . The next two decades were a blur of exploring, adventuring and living. Well, living as much as an undead creature could. It was through trial and error that he learnt more and more about what he had become. The first had been the super speed; being able to move faster than a human could blink. The second had been the fact the sunlight did...nothing to him. That discovery had been oddly satisfying to find out. At least it meant James didn’t have to hide as much. He was free to do as he pleased; when he pleased. That was how he found himself in Paris.

James had long since given up on love. He saw no point to it anymore. If he was going to live forever, what was the point of giving away his heart to someone who would be gone in an instant? It was impractical. He had long since given up on growing attached to those outside of his kind. Even then, there had been a spike in hunters. So many of his immortal acquaintances (or ‘friends forever’) had been slain. He was doing his best not to end up like them. James was careful. Paris was too notorious of a city; it was rare to actually find any vampires there. That was exactly why James had chosen to ‘settle down’ there. It was mostly safe from hunters. There were a  _ few _ risks but none worth worrying about. 

At least, that’s what he had assumed. James had been careful. He rarely killed; rarely indulged in more blood than he needed. He greeted everyone with a friendly smile. He had a nice apartment and a job and ‘friends’. He seemed  _ normal _ . Maybe it was a little boring but boring was necessary right now. Besides, boring wasn’t  _ entirely _ terrible. It had its perks. It was almost amusing in a way as he tried to understand what exactly it was about a normal life that people enjoyed. James still hadn’t entirely worked out what it was yet but he had all the time in the world. At least, that was what he had assumed. But it seemed that luck was no longer on his side. 

It started at a cafe. James had been practically  _ bloodthirsty _ in his need for caffeine that day, and who was he to refuse his instincts? It wasn’t a branded cafe. He rarely went anywhere branded - something about supporting local businesses and all that shit. It wasn’t as if his coffee order was that grand anyways. Just a simple black coffee; something that put enough caffeine in his veins that for a few blissful moments he could pretend he was alive. It was as he left the cafe that he spotted  _ him _ . Someone who had most definitely never seen before but was already eager to see again. The first thing James noticed about the man was his smile. It was sincere. A far cry from James’s own ice cold smirk. The second thing he noticed was how much of a fool the man was making of himself. Evidently French wasn’t his first language from the way he stumbled over his words. It was endearing. It also marked the man as an easy target. So James strolled over. “ _ I’ve got this, Michelle. Don’t worry. _ ”

“ _ Merci, James _ .” With a relieved smile, the woman scurried on her way. She was sweet - in her own way. Michelle had been living in the apartment below him since he moved in. A little skittish but she was friendly enough. James wouldn’t exactly call them ‘friends’ but they were on good enough terms. She was one of the few people he had never even considered making one of his victims. After all, he had to keep up appearances. 

The man looked more than a little bit frustrated by James’s intrusion. “ _ Do you interrupt constant conversations? _ ” Oh, the man absolutely wasn’t French. His grammar caused James to wince slightly. Was he even trying? Though, he did pick up on something in the man’s accent. He was  _ American _ . How wonderful. 

“Only when they’re going absolutely down the drain.” The look of confusion on the man’s face at James’s perfect English brought him more than a little bit of satisfaction. He liked throwing other people off; keeping them on edge. “It doesn’t help that your French is simply atrocious. Since your job of harassing Michelle went so poorly, perhaps I could be of some assistance?”

“Hey! My French isn’t that bad!” At the skeptical look James gave him, the man’s shoulders slumped slightly. “So, maybe it’s a  _ little _ bad. I wasn’t even asking anything that harsh! Just...If she knew anything about all the strange attacks that had been happening recently.” Okay, so maybe James had been indulging a little more than necessary recently but he hadn’t thought it was anything anyone would notice! “Or...If she’d seen anyone or anything strange?” 

James gave a half smile at that, completely masking the mild panic that was beginning to bubble up inside of him. “Like creatures that go bump in the night?” The way he tensed up confirmed everything he needed to know. The man was without a doubt a hunter. “Oh relax. My dad was part of the Guild.” The Hunters Guild was the bane of every vampire’s existence. 

“... _ Was _ ?” 

“Died on the job. Paris is pretty low on any sort of supernatural activity.” He shrugged nonchalantly, taking a sip from his coffee. It had been a long time since he had dealt with a hunter - especially in such a public place. Usually, it was quick to just disappear or...dispose of them. But that clearly wasn’t an option right now. Instead, he would have to play the part of a ‘normal’ human being. How boring. 

“Oh.” The man cleared his throat. “I’m sorry for your loss.” James waved him off. There was a brief moment of silence before the man offered out his hand. “I’m Sam.” 

“James.” He accepted the man - Sam’s - hand with a slight smile. He was cute in an endearing way. If he wasn’t a hunter, James could see the two getting extremely... _ close _ . But alas, fate didn’t seem to be on his side. “Sorry about the cold hands. Bad circulation.” It was an excuse James had been using since the day he was turned. “...Paris is the last place I’d expect to find an American hunter. I’d have thought there were more than enough bloodsuckers back home?” James loved the phrase ‘bloodsucker’. Especially since hunters were always so, so eager to use it as an insult. It just...held no weight behind it. It was like calling a human ‘waterdrinker’ or ‘foodeater’ or even ‘airbreather’. 

Sam seemed to hesitate at that, clearly not entirely comfortable divulging his entire life story to a stranger. So James turned up his charm. His smile grew a little wider and his eyes grew a little brighter; a trustworthy look; a look that always had humans spilling their hearts out to him. “...I’m actually here with a friend. Well, the man I apprentice to - Steve. He’s spent decades trying to hunt down the vampire that killed his best friend.” How...interesting. James tried to ignore the pang in his chest at the name ‘Steve’. There was no possible way Sam was referring to Steve Rogers. It was too convenient. It was too impossible. Besides, Steve Rogers didn’t know about vampires! ...Right? “The search led us to Paris.” Shit. As far as he was aware, James was the  _ only _ vampire in Paris. Which meant they were hunting him. Shit. 

“You said you came here with a friend but you seem very alone right now…” James practically purred as he took a step closer, staring directly into Sam’s eyes. 

He cleared his throat but didn’t look away. “Actually, I’m here a day ahead of Steve. Figured I’d get a head start before he arrived.” James couldn’t take on two hunters at once but if he took them on one at a time then maybe...maybe he’d have a decent chance. 

James’s smile turned slightly colder. “Y’know, I’ve been keeping track of how things have been going recently. If you’re free tonight, perhaps you could stop by and we could go over the notes I have. Maybe even throw in a bottle of wine?” James had full intentions of drinking something red that night but he wasn’t entirely sure that it was going to be the wine. “If you give me your number, I can text you the address?” 

“I...uh...Yeah, that sounds great.” Sam agreed just as James had known he would. It wasn’t as if he had much choice. James was good at convincing people to give him what he wanted. Within reason, of course. The vampire smiled as he handed his phone to the hunter, watching carefully as Sam entered each digit of his phone number. “So, I’ll see you tonight?”

“Until tonight.” James gave him one last smile before walking away. He took one long gulp from his coffee, barely noticing how cold it had gotten. Not that it mattered. Cold coffee was the last thing on his mind. No, the most pressing issue on his mind was  _ what the fuck was he going to do about these hunters? _ He also desperately wanted to know how exactly they had tracked him or who it was he had supposedly killed for them to want to do so? Too many questions that he knew would never come with easy answers.

James texted Sam an address and a time. 7pm. Which gave him just under seven hours to panic and work out how the hell he was going to get rid of the hunter. For whatever reason, the prospect of killing the hunter left an uneasy feeling in his stomach. It was the most convenient option yet every ounce of his being was telling him not to do it; that it was the worst idea he had ever had. Which was saying something because James had definitely had more than a few terrible ideas - such as  _ inviting a hunter to his apartment _ . He was such a fucking idiot.

By the time 7pm rolled around, an iced bottle of red wine was set on his kitchen counter with two empty glasses besides it. There was also a multitude of ‘notes’ and ‘research’ scattered around his apartment - a piss poor attempt to be able to corroborate the story he had offered to Sam from before. He had also decided he wasn’t going to try and compel Sam again. It had been risky doing it to the hunter once - he wouldn’t risk getting caught out on it.  _ He had to be careful _ . James wouldn’t let himself be caught out. So he put on a wide smile as he buzzed Sam into his apartment building. The smile was still on his face as he let the hunter into his home. “You made it! Honestly, I wasn’t entirely sure if you were going to come or not.” James laughed. “I know hunters don’t have a habit of trusting strangers.”

Sam shrugged, moving to slip off his jacket. “You may be right but there’s something...different about you. Something almost familiar.” Familiar? James was fairly certain the two had never met before. He would remember seeing someone like Sam. “Besides, you sparked my interest and I’m not one to give up on a lead. 

“Fair enough.” James forced himself to let out a laugh as he walked over to the kitchen counter. “Wine?” 

“...Isn’t it too early?” 

“We’re in France,  _ mon ami _ . It’s  _ never _ too early.” 

Sam laughed at that and James couldn’t help but note how  _ nice _ it was. His laugh was like velvet. He had never heard anything so perfect before in his life. Fuck. What the hell was he thinking about?! Sam was a  _ hunter _ ; his  _ enemy _ ; his next  _ victim _ . He was not some new romance waiting to happen. No matter how pretty he was. And he was  _ most definitely pretty. _ So they drank together and smiled. James got Sam to feel comfortable around him as they went over James’s ‘notes’. That was when he struck; when Sam was his most relaxed. “I really am sorry about this.” Before Sam even had the chance to question it, James’s teeth were stuck deep into his throat. Whilst James knew he didn’t  _ need _ to feed, that didn’t take away from the fact he very much wanted to. There was something almost addictive about feeding. Once he started, he never truly wanted to stop. He wanted to keep going until there was nothing left. And this time? He had no reason to stop. There was no reason for James to step back until he was done. But he did. For whatever reason, all his instincts told him to stop. They told him enough was enough. Unfortunately, that left James awkwardly holding an unconscious-but-very-much-alive hunter. “...Fuck.” 

Obviously, James took the most logical approach and just panicked. After all, what else was he meant to do after fucking up an attempt to kill a hunter? This was  _ not _ a situation he had been expecting. He had been planning on just dumping the body.  _ He hadn’t planned on actually trying to make sure Sam was okay _ . That left James with the awkward task of trying to maneuver Sam into his bed before aggressively trying to clean up the apartment. If he got rid of all the blood,  _ maybe _ he could try and convince Sam that he had simply drunk too much; that any notion of vampires was just a bad dream? It was a slim chance and James knew it. He couldn’t bring himself to sleep that night. Instead, he stayed up trying to plan out what the fuck he was going to do next. Unfortunately, he found himself turning up empty handed. Nothing seemed to fit. Not really. But he was ripped out of his thoughts by Sam’s phone ringing. Shit. Maybe he could convince whoever was calling that Sam was just asleep after some sort of one night stand? Without checking the caller ID, James picked up. “Hello? Who is this?” 

The phone was silent for a few moments before a voice spoke back. “...Bucky?” Just like that, the world around James seemed to crack. He  _ knew _ that voice. He knew it well. Steve Rogers had been his best friend since they were kids! Even if his voice was older now; more tired, James would be able to pick it out in a heartbeat. Did that make Steve Rogers the same Steve that Sam had mentioned before? Fate really had told him to go fuck himself gently with a chainsaw. He had already accepted that he would never hear from Steve again; that he would never be able to see his best friend again. Rather than answer Steve, James once more made an entirely logical decision. He threw the phone at the wall as hard as he could. 

With perhaps the world’s worst timing, that was the exact moment Sam woke up. The small groan he made as he did had James alert in seconds. “...T’fuck happened last night?” Okay, so maybe Sam didn’t remember James trying to turn him into an all-you-can-eat buffet. Now James just had to work out how the hell he was going to explain away Sam’s broken phone. Then he had to watch in what felt like slow motion as the hunter moved a hand to his neck. There was no way in hell he wouldn’t notice the bite. In a matter of moments, Sam had gone from drowsy to completely alert. “ _ You have got to be kidding me _ .”

“...Surprise?” James had the audacity to offer him a sheepish smile, still keeping his distance from the hunter. He wasn’t a  _ complete _ idiot. At least, he didn’t think he was. “In my defence, whilst I may have lied about my dad being a hunter, you didn’t actually ask me if I was a vampire or not! And I  _ am _ actually keeping track of the attacks. Need to make sure I don’t get too sloppy with my meals. You know how it is.” The look on Sam’s face assured James that he really didn’t know how it was. “...I also might owe you a new phone.”

Sam gave him what could only be described as a ‘death glare’. “Give me one reason why I shouldn’t kill you right now.”

“Because you’re in no shape to do so due to the fact I tried to drain you like a Capri-Sun last night.” James snorted. “Speaking of…” He found himself moving to grab a glass, filling it with water before bringing it back to Sam. “Here.” He couldn’t help but roll his eyes at the distrustful look offered to him in return. “Relax. It’s just water. Not exactly lethal.” Geez, hunters really didn’t fuck about. 

James watched as Sam downed the water like it was a shot. “...Why didn’t you kill me?” There was no friendliness in his voice. Only pure venom. 

“Still trying to work that one out.” He shrugged nonchalantly. “How do you know Steve Rogers?” A question for a question seemed fair enough. 

“I told you before. He’s been training me. We’ve been hunting  _ you _ for killing his best friend.” James felt like his lips twitch upwards slightly at that. 

“You and Steve have it wrong. I didn’t kill Steve’s best friend.” He took some satisfaction in the look of confusion that crossed Sam’s face. “James Buchanan Barnes, at your service.” James gave him a mock bow. “Formerly known as Bucky Barnes.” 

“No...That’s impossible…” Sam watched him in disbelief, not taking his eyes off of James for so much as a second. “Steve said you died. He...He even showed me your grave.” 

“Empty grave. Presumed dead. They never found my body for...obvious reasons.” He gestured vaguely to himself, moving to sit on the edge of the bed. “And I am technically dead. No pulse or anything. I’m not even really breathing. It’s just a show.” To emphasise his point, James simply...stopped breathing. Not that he even needed to anymore. It was just a habit at this point; an instinct left over from what felt like a lifetime ago. 

It was evident James had left the other man nearly speechless as he stumbled to find the right words. “How...What...Why would you choose to become something like that?” 

“Common misconception. Most of us don’t choose to become like this. It just...happens. We’re mistakes made by our creators. Victims that didn’t quite stay dead.” He shrugged. “Any more questions?”

“Just one.” James quirked an eyebrow at him. “What happened to my phone?”

“Oh, Steve called and recognised my voice so I panicked and just launched it into a wall.” 

“You...threw it at a wall?” After James nodded in confirmation, Sam just started laughing. He laughed as if it was the funniest thing he’d heard in a long time. “Steve made it out as if we were hunting some allusive and dangerous creature. Instead, we’ve been hunting his dumbass of a best friend.”

“Oh shut up!” He huffed, shoving him lightly. 

“Or what?” 

“Or...I'll eat you.” 

Sam snorted. “Yeah, because that really went great for you the first time you tried it.” James went to protest but just shut his mouth. He  _ technically _ wasn’t wrong. He really had just given up halfway through killing Sam. Not that he regretted it. There was something...oddly likeable about Sam. James felt comfortable around him - even if he couldn’t quite work out why. Though, there were still a few brief thoughts of killing him. He was a vampire! It was in his nature! “...You know Steve is going to come here, right? My phone has GPS in it.” 

“MOTHERFUCKER!” 

James waiting for Steve to show up made waiting for Same to wake up look like a walk in the park. If his heart were still functioning then he knew it would be pounding like a jackhammer. What the hell did he even say? Surprise! I know I’ve been dead for twenty years but it turns out I’m just a vampire instead! Yeah, that would go down a treat! He spent the entire time just...talking to Sam. He was surprisingly easy to get along with when James wasn’t trying to kill him. He listened as Sam went off about his many exploits with Steve. It was oddly comforting to hear that Steve had been doing mostly okay; that he hadn’t just become some miserable old bastard. 

When Steve knocked on the door, James froze in place. If he still dreamed then this would have been his worst nightmare come to life. “Sam? Sam, I’m coming in.” Then the door opened and James was confronted with a ghost of his past. Steve Rogers in all his glory. The decades hadn’t exactly been fair to Steve but there was no doubting it was his best friend; his brother. When Steve caught sight of him, he seemed to mirror James’s frozen pose. “Bucky…”

“You got old, Stevie.” 

“You didn’t.” And fuck, wasn’t that the truth. James didn’t move as Steve made his way across the room. His expression was unreadable but Bucky couldn’t hurt Steve.  _ He’d never been able to hurt Steve _ . Steve was family. And if Steve was here to kill him? Then who the hell was Bucky to stop him? But he didn’t kill him. In fact, he did the exact opposite. He hugged Bucky as if his life depended on it. “...I thought I’d lost you forever.”

Bucky hesitated before slowly returning the hug. It felt good; it felt familiar. It felt like home. “Would you believe me if I said I did it to protect you?” His voice cracked slightly as he held Steve that little bit closer. “I...I didn’t want to risk hurting you because I’m like this so I ran. Better you think I’m dead than I end up killing you.” When Steve went to protest, Bucky silenced him with a single look. “You’d follow me to the end of the line, and I couldn’t do that to you. It’s not fair on you.” 

“What’s not fair is spending twenty years thinking my best friend was dead! Thinking that I was tracking down the monster that had killed him! Thinking that I was going to be able to avenge you!” Steve shoved him at that and Bucky let him. Bucky didn’t protest as Steve pinned him against the wall - even if he knew Sam was watching. “How...How do I know it’s still you? How do I know you’re still Bucky and not some monster wearing his face?!”

Bucky took a deep breath. “You are Steven Grant Rogers. Your mother’s name was Sarah and your father’s name was Joseph. We became friends after I stopped you getting your ass kicked by kids twice your age. Your mom used to hand bake us cakes for our birthdays. I was with you the day she was buried. You swear far too fucking much for someone raised Catholic.” He closed his eyes for a few moments. “It’s me, Stevie. I promise it’s me.” 

“Okay, so is anyone going to tell me what’s going on or…?” And there was Sam making himself known again. Bucky wasn’t sure if he was supposed to be annoyed or amused, so he settled on something between the two. 

“Oh, right.” Steve cleared his throat, stepping back slightly. “Sam, meet Bucky Barnes. Buck, this is my apprentice Sam Wilson.” Sam WIlson. The name suited him. 

Bucky smirked slightly. “We’re already acquainted.” He assured his best friend. 

“That’s one way of putting it.” 

“Is that so?” Steve raised an eyebrow at them both. “I have a feeling that’s going to be an...interesting story.” 

“It sure is.” Bucky found himself laughing. “But a story for a story. I want to hear about everything you’ve been up to, Van Helsing. It’s been a long time.” As they settled down, Bucky couldn’t help but note how  _ nice _ it felt to get to know Steve again. It was nice to be with someone who reminded him of him. And Sam? Sam WIlson was someone that Bucky had full intentions of getting to know  _ extremely well _ . 

**Author's Note:**

> Love it? Hate it? Please comment! It helps inspire me to write more! Or hmu @ desert-lily on tumblr!


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